Cheshire East Council has many legal responsibilities and duties to its residents and communities.

The current cost of delivering these statutory services, which support our most vulnerable residents, currently make up 74% of the council's budget. Everything else therefore comes out of the remaining 26%. So, these non-statutory services get squeezed, and the cycle continues. To protect and improve our services, the council has only a limited set of financial options available.

 Decisions made in the past not to raise council tax at all, or even to keep pace with inflation, has lowered the council's base level of income, year after year. Instead, the previous administration rashly used financial reserves to balance the books. The cumulative effect of these historical decisions has meant that the council has lost over £22 million in income. Worse, these decisions left the council with no reserves.

 Since I was elected leader, a stronger grip on spending has been put in place. An ambitious Transformation and Improvement Plan has been launched to change the way the council works, and there are now robust business plans in place which deliver savings. In adult social care, pilot schemes are already not just delivering services more efficiently, making tangible savings, but are also improving outcomes for residents. These successful pilot schemes are being rolled out across the borough, and as such further savings will be realised.

A 4.99% council tax increase is not enough alone to put the council on a stable financial footing. For the coming year we will also need to borrow to balance our budget. We don't shy away from the reality of the council's situation. The Cheshire East Labour Group is determined to see that the delivery of our Transformation and Improvement Plan will see borrowing reduced year on year until the council is in a position to start building its essential reserves and reduce debt, whilst protecting services to our most vulnerable residents.

The new Labour government is also making a difference to local authorities. Ninety percent of all council's SEND deficits are to be taken on by central government. This is very welcome, and we are spending more on children's services, on road maintenance and homelessness. We are already seeing the extra funding improve our roads, and an accelerated programme of resurfacing works are scheduled for 2026. However, the previous administration left a backlog of £115m for road maintenance, so it will be a long haul back to getting our roads in a well-maintained condition.

So the council is moving forward at pace. We have a strong leadership team and dedicated staff. Everyone is working together and we are all determined to continue the pace of change.

Increasing council tax by any amount is unpopular, but it is necessary.

advertisement

The Cheshire East Labour Group will always make decisions in the best interests of the whole council, the whole borough and with the most vulnerable residents in mind. The council's finances are moving in the right direction. The council finance officer's duty, and mine, is to put the council on a stable financial footing. We are getting closer to that goal.

Nick Mannion - Leader, Cheshire East Council

Want to have your say? Opinion pieces and readers' letters can be submitted here.